Solitude
by Derek Volynski
Summary: What if Ichigo hadn't met the fullbringers, and his mind was sent into turmoil from using mugetsu?


**A/N: Alright guys, I haven't updated since school started…which sucks, it gets in the way of writing. I'm so sorry, viewers. I've read reviews, though. I'm going to try and make my chapters slower in pace, as well as more details. I re-read all my chapters of everything ever and I now realize that I don't explain stuff very easily. I usually write down what I think, not really explaining. This here story popped into my head one day, and I cannot let this idea leave my head. This is more of an OOC story, and I might add some OC's somewhere along the line. I really want to become a more frequent writer, and would love if I had a beta reader, but if my friends on this site don't want to be one, just ask me. Thanks!**

~Xoland

Ichigo sat in class, head down on the desk.

His work had been finished, and he sat, silent, gloomy. Tatsuki and Ichigo's other friends glanced often at Ichigo, as well as the teacher.

He had been like this for weeks, silent. Ichigo hadn't said one word since he used Mugetsu and changed back to a normal human.

After he used Mugetsu, the soul society vanished. Rukia, Renji, everyone from the soul society had disappeared. Ichigo was lonely, his mind trapped inside a cage of sadness, depression and grief.

Ichigo had lost the ability to protect those who he cared for most.

The bell rang, and everyone got up, packed their bags, and slung them over their shoulders, talking and dispersing to go home.

Ichigo walked quickly out of the school, to a spot he had frequented since he lost his powers.

Ichigo walked down winding streets in Karakura town, arriving at an abandoned car garage. He had got legal claims on it, and he didn't have to pay for the property because no one cared for it anyway.

Ichigo had fixed the outside and inside, fixing the lights, cleaning, putting in the family's extra furniture. Ichigo sat on the couch in the back wall in the garage.

He closed his eyes, tired from another boring day at school.

"I hate it when it rains, Ichigo." A voice pierced the looming silence of the garage. Ichigo was startled, jumping, and focused in on the voice's owner.

Zangetsu stood there, looming on his classic black pole. Ichigo stared in disbelief.

"Zangetsu…is it really you?" Ichigo spoke for the first time in months. Zangetsu stepped off of his pole, onto the floor.

Zangetsu put his hand into his cloak, and pulled out a white Tensa Zangetsu, and held out the handle to Ichigo.

Ichigo smiled for the first time in weeks, and reached out.

Ichigo woke up suddenly, hearing a knock at the door. His sadness deepened, his dream pushing his grief forward. Ichigo walked quietly to garage door.

He opened the door, and Tatsuki and Orihime stood there, worried expressions on their faces.

"Ichigo, why won't you talk to anyone? Why do you never smile, like you used to?" Tatsuki said, on the brink of crying.

Ichigo stepped back, opening the door for Orihime and Tatsuki to enter. Tatsuki stepped in quickly, and Orihime walked in slowly, observing the garage.

Ichigo closed the door and walked back to his couch, and sat down once again.

Tatsuki stared at Ichigo, "Why have you ignored us, Ichigo?" Ichigo looked up, and stared into Tatsuki's deep brown eyes.

Ichigowent to the storage closet and pulled out a white board and some markers, and sat down.

Ichigo wrote 'I made myself forget how to talk.' And turned the board around to show Tatsuki.

"You can't just forget how to talk, Ichigo!" Tatsuki said loudly, on the brink of yelling. Orihime's eyes started watering. Both of them desperately wanted to hear his voice again, to see him smile.

_"Why are you so weak, King?"_

Ichigo covered his face, whispering quietly, "No…go away…no…stop…"  
Orihime went to Ichigo and held him, and Tatsuki scowled.

_"Let me take a spin, Horse." _Ichigo's Hollow trampled over Ichigo's weakened will.

Ichigo looked up, eyes black and gold, with a crazy, sadistic smile that looked murderous. Ichigo's Hollow gained control of his body.

"I'm free!" Hollow Ichigo said in a hollow's voice. Hichigo (Hollow Ichigo) laughed, and grew both claws and a mask, showing his hollow's side.

A hole appeared just in between his lungs, in the center of his chest. Hichigo ran out the garage and ran into Karakura's local shinigami.

The shinigami drew his sword, aiming it at Hichigo. "What are you…?" The shinigami said, surprised at seeing a human in the middle of a transformation.

Hichigo lunged, clawing the shinigami across the chest, and threw him to the side.

Hichigo's mask and claws shattered, revealing a serious and surprised face. Ichigo's eyes turned normal, and his stance returned to his depressed hunch,

_"You won't catch me off guard that easy next time, King."_

Ichigo looked back at Tatsuki and Orihime, who had scared looks plastered on their faces, fearful of Ichigo.

Ichigo ran down the street, away from them. Away from anyone. Away from his sadness, his hollow, his life. Ichigo ran until he couldn't, he stopped in an alley, and fell asleep.

When Ichigo woke up, he was in the same place, and it was around noon, probably the next day.

Ichigo stood up, brushed himself off, and went into a nearby clothing shop.  
He bought some regular, flat colored clothes and changed. A beauty supply shop was next to the clothing shop, and he walked in.

The cashier welcomed him, and with the last bits of his money, he bough a few packages of black hair dye.

Ichigo walked back the direction he came, till he found familiar streets. He walked around to his garage, and saw Orihime and Tatsuki leaving.

He waited a minute or two, then went inside. He closed and locked the door behind him, and went around to the back, where the bathrooms are.

Ichigo took out one of the hair dye packages and dyed his hair, also pushing it down into a different style, having it down so no one could pick him out of a crowd full of normal people in Japan.

Ichigo walked around town near his garage to find a job. He found a nearby butcher's shop that needed an assistant to help with the store.

He went in and picked up the sign, bringing it to the only person running the store. The grown man tossed him an apron, a hat, and Ichigo put them on, and went around back.

"I need you to go back and cut all of our bacon into slices, and grind up half of our beef." Ichigo nodded at the order, and went into the back, and started working.

A few days passed of doing relatively the same thing, and he got paid every so often.

Around noon on a Thursday, Tatsuki and Orihime walked in. "Have you seen this teenager, we need to find him." Tatsuki held up a picture of Ichigo before he dyed his hair.

Ichigo shook his head, being the one at the counter, and said in a deep gruff voice, "Would like anything?"

Ichigo had taught himself a different voice to speak in, which he used in public.

Tatsuki shook her head and looked at Orihime. Orihime said quietly, "Can I have a pound of Bacon?"

Ichigo went to the back, cut out a pound, and wrapped it in the waxed paper and tagged it. He went to the counter and rung up the price in the cash register.

Orihime took the meat and paid, and then they both left. Ichigo sighed, rubbed his head and went to the back.

The manager looked at him, "It's time to close the shop, Ichigo." Ichigo hung up his hat and apron, and turned off all the lights and left with the manager.

Ichigo went home, and slept another day off. His dream was another one with Zangetsu, handing him a crimson Tensa Zangetsu.

Ichigo woke up, and it was his day off. He walked towards his old High school, straight to the office.

Ichigo had gotten some glasses, and now he looked completely different.  
The person sitting at the office desk looked up.

"I'd like to enroll in this high school." Ichigo said in his gruff voice. The person sitting there looked at her computer, tapped a few times "Name?"

"Ichigo Kanou" Ichigo said, giving a fake name to go under. He kept his first name, though.

Ichigo answered a few more questions and then the person sitting there said "OK, you can start school next week. See you then." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." Ichigo said, then left. Ichigo went to his managers house, and explained his school situation. The manager nodded, and said goodbye.

Ichigo arrived at his Garage, and went inside. His job paid very well, and he bought a bed and some other things.

As he walked in, Tatsuki was in the room, on the couch in the corner. Ichigo froze, and said, "Who're you?"

"Ichigo told me to take care of his Garage until he came back, but he didn't tell me a girl was staying here." Ichigo said in his gruff voice, startling Tatsuki.

Tatsuki stood up and left, obviously on the brink of tears, who thought Ichigo was back, but it was just a stranger.

Ichigo stared at Tatsuki walking away, and shrugged. He went inside and slept.

Ichigo just hung around the Garage over the weekend. On Monday he got up, and packed very little school stuff from before he changed his appearance.

He arrived at the school, and was welcomed into his homeroom by his old teacher, who luckily didn't recognize him. He sat at the back of the class, and drew stares.

He listened to the teacher talking, and when the bell range, he went to 1st period. He sat through a normal day, and testing would start soon. His grades were already up in the top 25, and Ichigo was looking at the board.

He was #21 on his first day. His homeroom teacher walked down the hall and stopped near Ichigo. "Congratulations, Ichigo. You're doing exceptionally well for a new student."

The teacher continued, "You remind me of a student that left not 2 weeks ago. His name was Ichigo Kurosaki. Do you know him?"

Ichigo looked at the teacher, "I know him, he's traveling and I'm taking care of his garage while he's gone."

The teacher nodded, and left. It was nearing the end of the day. When Ichigo was walking to 6th period, a girl walked up to him.

"Ichigo, I love you, please go out with me!" she said, her face red, holding out a lone white rose.

Ichigo smiled and took her hand in his, "Yes, I will." Ichigo thought to himself 'I hope this blows over quickly, and draws attention away from me.'

Ichigo hugged his new girlfriend, embracing her deeply. Everyone else who was watching had already left, seeing no interest in this normal event.

Ichigo flew through the week, with schoolwork, talking with his new girlfriend, and other things, ended his first week of high school under his new name.

Ichigo needed this to repair his broken, unstable mind.


End file.
